Fragile
by LilyWafiq
Summary: He’d never seen her looking so fragile. A tale of love, loss and being together. A Sam/Jack story.
1. Chapter 1

He'd never seen her looking so fragile. Jack O'Neill sat in a chair in the SGC infirmary next to a bed containing a woman. The woman was Samantha Carter. She was asleep, for now. It had been a tough day for everyone.

_They were running. Sam saw Cameron Mitchell running on one side of her, on the other side was Teal'c, Daniel Jackson, and behind her was Vala Mal Doran. _

"_Cam! We need to get out of here!" Sam yelled. _

"_I know!" He replied._

"_Duck!" Yelled Daniel, as a ball of fire flew over their heads. They were under heavy fire. _

"_Dial the gate, Colonel!" Cameron shouted at Sam._

_She dashed to the DHD and dialled outwards. "Let's go!" She yelled. _

_SG1 ran for the gate, Cam and Teal'c were slightly ahead of Sam; Daniel and Vala were behind her. She was about to jump through the gate, but was stopped. "Sam!" Yelled Daniel as he fell. Sam turned around to see Vala desperately trying to help him up. She dashed to Daniel's side and helped Vala to lift him to his feet. _

"_Let's get out of here!" Sam yelled over the gunfire and fireballs. Vala nodded over Daniel's head and they started to move towards the gate. Then Sam screamed, a ball of fire exploded next to her, knocking her, Daniel and Vala to the ground. Sam bore the brunt of the explosion. She was knocked unconscious immediately._

Jack sighed as he watched Sam. He'd arrived at the SGC as soon as he heard that she was near death. And so he'd sat in this seat for two days, watching Sam. He'd only gotten out of the chair to visit the bathroom, and get himself food. He'd only been gone for five minutes at the most each time. His gaze never left Sam's unmoving body. Then, she moved. Jack jumped up and stood next to the bed. Her eyes slowly opened, and she looked up at him. 

Sam was reminded of another time she'd awoken to find Jack standing next to her.

_She awoke from what felt like a bad dream. Like two people in her mind were fighting. The Goa'uld was dead, she could feel it. It had died to save her. How strange. She opened her eyes slowly, and she saw her CO. Genuine concern shone in his eyes. _

She stared at Jack for a moment, then mumbled something incomprehensible.

"What?" Jack asked.

"When did you get here?" Sam whispered.

"A few days ago."  
"A few days?"

Jack stared at her with a look in his eyes that she could only describe as worry. "You were knocked around pretty bad, Carter. We were all scared you weren't gonna make it this time." He paused. "I'm glad you're still with us though." He pulled his chair over and sat down again. Sam reached out a scarred hand to Jack, and he took it. She smiled and rolled over to face him. She looked so tired and worn out, Jack thought to himself. To her, he said, "Get some sleep Carter." He leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss. She smiled slightly, and closed her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

She was dreaming.

"_Run Sam!" Daniel yelled. She was frozen, watching him fade away into nothingness. Then she was falling too, nothing rushed up to meet her, she continued to fall. She felt the grief of losing Daniel again. _

Sam jolted awake, tears streaming down her face. She felt a slight pressure on her shoulders. Jack was holding her down.

"Carter?" He sounded concerned. His hands were still gently resting on her shoulders. 

Sam looked up at him, her eyes clouded with tears. "Sir?"

"Bad dream?" 

Sam nodded, not wanting to talk about it. "Horrible." She muttered.

Jack looked at her. She was scarred on her hands, and down her side. Jack had never seen her injured as badly. 

"Are you in pain?" He asked.

"Emotionally or physically?"

"Both."

"Yes." Sam stared up into Jack's eyes. "I think I've got a couple of broken ribs." She muttered.

Jack chuckled. "Yes, you do. And a broken leg." He added.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You think I'd notice, but I'm on so much pain medication that I can barely think straight." She looked away from Jack, who removed his hands from her shoulders and sat back down. The chair was so close to Sam's bed that Jack had to sit sideways in it. He placed his hand on Sam's cheek. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't think of the right words, so he closed it again. He ran his fingers through Sam's hair as she once again drifted off to sleep.

Days passed, Sam slept most the time away, he medication making her drowsy. One day she woke up, not feeling tired any more. Jack was still sitting by her side. She groaned as she sat up.

"Sam?"

"Sir?'

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"A little better." She paused. "Did Daniel and Vala…" She trailed off.

"They're fine, not hurt as badly as you." Said Jack. "They're glad you're alive. Daniel feels kinda guilty." 

"Guilty?" 

"He thinks that 'cause he fell, it's his fault you're here." 

"But it's not!"

"I think you'll have to tell him that for him to believe it."

Sam sighed. "Sir…Jack, why did you come here?"

Jack looked into Sam's eyes. "I couldn't let die without me being here." 

"Die?"

"The doctors didn't think you were gonna make it. You were out of it almost a week before they called me."

Sam felt strange, after almost a week of being unconscious, they'd called Jack, and he hadn't left her side since. Every time she opened her eyes, he was there. Every time she'd needed help with something, he was there. Sam knew that he cared for her, and she knew that she loved him, and always had. But it was something new when Jack showed affection like that back to her, showed that he cared for her deeply. More than she ever thought he did.

Jack sensed that Sam was thinking. It was easy for him to tell when she was thinking about something other than science. Her eyes slid slightly out of focus and her lips would open slightly. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to let her know that he loved her more than anything else. But now was not the time. Now was the time for Sam to get better, and then maybe, he would tell her how he felt.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack was trying to sleep

Jack was trying to sleep. But wasn't managing. He was lying back in his quarters, thinking. Mostly about Sam, and how she'd managed to survive. She was now lying in the SGC infirmary, recovering. Jack got up and wandered slowly through the dark halls of the SGC and made his way to the infirmary. He sank into the chair beside Sam's bed and watched her for a while. Then he fell asleep, smiling slightly.

Sam woke up during the night. She was sore all over, her ribs were healing, but her leg was still very broken. Actually, she'd found out, her leg was almost shattered and would take some time to heal. Sam tried to think of what woke her up. There was a noise from beside her. Sam looked over and saw Jack asleep on the chair beside her bed. Her was snoring softly. Sam rolled over and watched him for a while. She loved the way he looked when he was asleep. She'd watched him often when they were off world. He stirred. Sam quickly closed her eyes.

Jack awoke and found himself cramped into a tiny chair. It took him a moment to realise that he was in the infirmary, still sitting by Sam's bed. He saw Sam open one eye, then both.

"Hey Carter." He muttered.

"Hi sir." She said.

"How are you?"

Sam looked at Jack and said, "Leg's aching a bit, but okay otherwise." She studied him closely. "How about you? You weren't there when I went to sleep."

Jack looked a bit sheepish. "I couldn't sleep, so I came down here."

"To talk to me, or to watch me?" Sam asked.

Jack looked away from Sam for a moment, and then looked back. "To watch you, I suppose."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Jack shrugged. "I've found, over the years, that watching you helps me sleep."

Sam blushed. "So you watched me while I was asleep, while we were off world?"

"Mmm. Sometimes not off world."

"What?"

Jack looked cheeky. "You're a very sound sleeper Carter."

"Well… if we're being honest, I used to watch you while you slept as well." Sam said.

Jack looked at her, and she blushed again.

"Carter? I was your CO, so isn't that a bit…" He paused, trying to think of a word to say.

"You did it too sir." Sam pointed out.

Jack smiled at her. Sam smiled shyly back at him.

A few months passed, and Sam regained strength in her body. Her leg took time to heal, and she was hobbling around for a while, but she was soon walking unaided again. Daniel was feeling a lot better now that Sam was better.

Sam was sitting back in her lab one day, doing some research, when Jack wandered in. He'd been back in Washington for most of the time that Sam had taken to recover. So Sam was quite surprised to see him.

"Sir! What are you doing here?" She asked, the joy evident in her voice.

"Carter, I missed the excitement." He said.

"Of…?"

"This place, General Landry," he paused. "You."

Sam smiled.

Jack loved to see her smile. He sat down opposite Sam and looked at her. "I was wondering if you might like to go out for dinner with me."

Sam looked pleasantly surprised. "Sure."

Jack smiled. "Good. How about tonight?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Keen, aren't you?"

Jack chuckled. "And you now have something to look forward to for the rest of the day." He smiled slyly and got up and left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam rushed home as soon as she could get away from work

Sam rushed home as soon as she could get away from work. She nervously got changed and waited for Jack to arrive. Jack was right. She had looked forward to this all day. She laughed to herself as she thought of Jack's sly look as he'd left her lab earlier that day. Sam jumped as there was a knock on her door.

"Carter! You ready yet?" She heard Jack yell.

She smiled and got up to open the door. "You bet." She said.

Jack was speechless. Sam was gorgeous. She was wearing a knee length blue dress that complemented her eyes beautifully. She smiled at him.

"Wow." Jack managed to choke out.

"You like?"

"Oh yeah!"

Sam laughed and grabbed her bag. She stepped out onto her front porch, closing the door behind her.

Jack offered her his arm, and they walked to his truck. Jack opened the passenger door and helped Sam get in.

"So, where are we going?" Sam asked when they'd left her house.

"You'll see." Jack replied.

They arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes later. Sam gasped.

"Wow!" She smiled at Jack. "This is my favourite restaurant!"

"I know."

Sam looked at Jack sideways. "How did you know?"

Jack grinned. "Let's eat!"

"Is all you think about your stomach?"

"No…" Jack said cheekily.

They sat in silence for a little while.

"So…" Jack said.

Sam smiled at him. "You're not so good with conversations are you?"

"Not really."

"Remember that time we were in Antarctica?" Sam asked.

Jack gave a dry laugh. "How could I forget?"

Sam smiled sadly. "I was so sure we were going to die."

"You tried so hard to figure out why we couldn't get home." Jack said. He lowered his voice. "What we didn't know was that we were on earth the whole time."

"I was so scared." Sam said. "You were really badly hurt, and we were stranded."

Jack reached out to hold Sam's hand. "It's over now, we survived." He said.

Sam smiled. "Yes."

Jack looked thoughtful. "What about the time…" He paused. "Jolinar?"

Sam looked down. "We didn't know about the Tok'ra then. They were all Goa'uld to us." She sighed. "I knew that Jolinar was telling the truth, but you wouldn't listen. I don't blame you. I'm glad I survived. Jolinar died for me."

Jack looked at her and said, "Maybe we should spend time reminiscing about the good times."

Sam chuckled. "Yeah."

Jack drove Sam home later that evening. Sam was tired, and fell asleep in Jack's truck. They arrived at Sam's house and he shook her awake.

"Carter?"  
"Mmm"

"We're back at your house, do you want me to carry you in or can you walk?"

Sam giggled. "I can walk." She stumbled out of Jack's truck, and to her front door. "I'm so tired." She murmured.

Jack smiled. "Goodnight Carter, I'll see you tomorrow?"

Sam looked at him. "You don't want to stay?"

Jack looked sideways at her. "You want me too?"

"Only if you want to."  
"I want to."

"Then stay." Sam led him inside and smiled as she shut the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam was sitting on her couch, legs drawn up to her chest. She was leaning her head on her knees as she looked at Jack, who was sitting on the floor next to her.

"So, talking about good times… what's your happiest memory from your years on SG1?" Sam asked.

Jack looked thoughtful. "I'm not too sure. There were a lot of good times." He paused. "Maybe when we got Skaara back from the Goa'uld."

Sam smiled, "That was good. I didn't know him as well as you did, but it wasn't a good time when he and Sha're were taken."

There was a moment of silence as they remembered Sha're.

"Back on the depressing stuff?" Jack mentioned.

Sam smiled tiredly. "Yeah."

"So… what's your happiest memory?" Jack asked.

"I honestly don't know. Saving my dad with Selmak." Sam paused. "When we found Daniel after he retook human form."

"Why is it that all our 'good' memories have something bad in them?" Jack asked. "Cause Skaara ascended, so we're probably not gonna see him again. Your Dad and Selmak… Daniel."

Sam nodded.

They sat in silence for a while.

"Remember when we were infected with that weird disease that turned us all primal?" Jack asked.

Sam blushed. "Yeah. We thought it would be great to study the Broca Divide, but it turned out to be a disease."

"I happen to remember that you were wearing a very… sweet little tank top." Jack said.

Sam blushed again. "I wasn't myself sir."

"Hey, I didn't mind. Besides, I wasn't myself either. I think I picked a fight with Daniel over you." Jack said.

Sam laughed. "Really?"

"I never told you?"

"No."

"Well, he was gonna visit you after I dragged you to the infirmary, but I got a bit… shirty with him. In fact, I really tried to pummel him."

Sam raised her eyebrows and lifted her head off her knees. "Wow. Poor Daniel."

"Mmm." Jack said.

They sat there, talking about that incident for a while when Jack suddenly grabbed Sam's arm and pulled her down towards him.

"I remember exactly what it felt like when you kissed me." He said softly to her.

Sam took a sharp breath in, while trying not to fall off the couch. "I remember too." She paused, then smiled impishly. "I liked it."

Jack smiled. "Me too."

Sam looked at Jack, then leant down to kiss him gently. When Jack put his hand around the back of Sam's head to pull her closer, she toppled off the couch and landed on top of him. Jack groaned as Sam fell on top of him and knocked the breath out of him. She giggled.

"If I remember correctly," Said Jack. "We were on a bench in the locker room."

"Until we fell off." Said Sam. "Or, until you rolled us off."

"Like this?" Jack said, and rolled over so he was lying on top of Sam. He had one hand underneath her neck, and one underneath Sam, resting on her shoulder.

Sam smiled. "I think now is when you dragged me to the infirmary."

Jack nodded, before leaning down to kiss her.

"That didn't happen!" Sam said weakly, before Jack kissed her again. Sam kissed him back, and ran her hands up his back, under his shirt.

Jack pulled back from the kiss and said, "Is it too early for me to say I love you?"

"No. In fact," Sam kissed him gently. "I think it's 10 years overdue."


	6. Chapter 6

Sam woke up early the next morning, though she didn't know why

Sam woke up early the next morning, though she didn't know why. Her head was throbbing slightly; she decided she'd had too much to drink the night before. She rolled over and gasped. Then all of the previous night's activities came rushing back to her. She looked at Jack, who was snoring softly. She almost laughed as she remembered him carrying her to her bedroom, even though he wasn't one hundred percent sure where it was.

_Sam giggled as Jack gently pulled her up of the floor. _

"_Do you remember the rule about giggling, Colonel?" Jack asked._

_Sam giggled again and said, "Yes."_

"_Then why are you still giggling?"_

_Sam grinned, "You should know I like disobeying orders… General."_

_Jack scooped Sam up in his arms and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "So… which way to the bedroom?"_

_Sam giggled again and pointed down a hallway, "That way, second door on the right." She put her arms around Jack's neck and kissed him._

Jack woke up in a bed he didn't recognise. It was softer than his bed. He cracked open one eyes and saw a sexy blond woman staring back at him.

"Morning." He said.  
"Morning." Sam replied. "How are you?"

Jack opened his other eye, and stretched his arms up to pull Sam down and kiss her. "Good now."

Sam smiled at him and leant down for another kiss. "You know, I have today off. We could use the time…" She paused, licked her lips, then said, "Wisely."

Jack smiled, then rolled over so he was lying on top of Sam. "That sounds like a very good idea, Colonel."

Sam was happier than she had been in a long time. She was in bed with the man she'd dreamt of for over a decade. She giggled as his lips brushed over hers, and along her jaw line.

"Oh Jack." She murmured.

"Mmm?" He replied.

"I love you so much." Sam whispered in his ear.

"I love you more." Teased Jack.

"I don't think so." Sam said, grinning. She leant upwards and kissed Jack gently on the lips. Then the phone rang. Sam sighed and said, "I'm sorry, then reached out to grab the handset. "Carter." She said. She listened for a while, then rolled her eyes and sighed.

Jack looked at her, and ran his fingers through her hair.

Sam tried very hard to concentrate on the phone call, but Jack kept distracting her.

"Hold on a minute, Cameron." She said, before putting her hand over the receiver and hissing, "Jack!"

He put on an innocent face. "Yes?"

"Stop it! I'm on the phone."

"Yes, darling Cameron. On your day off?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

Sam rolled her eyes, and started talking into the phone. "Can't you do it without me?" Cameron murmured something and Sam sighed again. "Fine, I'll be there in an hour."

Jack's face fell.

Sam frowned at the phone and said, "No I will not get there any sooner. In fact, give me two hours, just to be safe." Then she hung up.

Jack sighed as Sam crawled out of bed and began to gather her uniform, with was dumped in a heap on the ground. "What's going on?" He asked.

Sam sat on the edge of the bed and said, "Dunno."

"You don't know?"

"Something he wouldn't discuss on the phone. We have to go off world for some reason, could be the Ori." Sam looked sad. "I guess that puts a stopper in our plans."

Jack looked at her. "Come here." He said, and pulled Sam down for a kiss. "You know, I'm always welcome for a visit, right?"


	7. Chapter 7

Approximately half an hour later, Sam walked into the meeting room, followed by Jack.

"Jack!" Daniel said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not allowed to visit?" Jack asked.

"General O'Neill?" General Landry said. "This was unexpected."

"Hope you don't mind me wandering in." Jack said. "I was bored."

General Landry smiled. "You're always welcome. However I'm about to brief SG1 on their mission for today. So…"

"Can I join? I promise I won't be any trouble." Jack gave Sam a sly glance.

"Whatever." Landry said. "Sit down Colonel Carter."

"Yes sir." Sam said and sat down. Jack sat down beside her. Daniel shot them a curious look.

"SG1, there have been reports of an abandoned Goa'uld outpost on P7Y – 368. Apparently there are some valuable artefacts or technology that might be of use to us, and you're to check it out. Be careful though, there are some reports that say it might not be abandoned."  
Landry told them.

"That sounds a bit contradictory, sir." Jack said. "Reports of abandoned outpost that might not be abandoned." He nodded.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Let's get this over with then." She turned to Landry. "When are we leaving?"

"In an hour." Landry replied.

"Can I go too?" Jack asked.

Everyone turned to look at him. Sam smiled slightly. Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Cam nodded. Daniel sighed.

"Sure." Landry said.

Jack smiled broadly at the rest of SG1.

That's when Sam looked around. "Uh, where's Vala?"

Vala looked up as the rest of SG1 and Jack burst into her quarters. Sam laughed as she saw the other woman open her eyes. She was still in bed. Taking in the sight of five people in uniform in her room she asked wearily, "Isn't today our day off?"

Sam nodded. "It was. Until something came up. We're going off world." She paused and looked at the men in the room. "Can you guys get out?"

They all looked sorry and left the room.

Sam turned to Vala and sighed. "You might want to get dressed. We're leaving in an hour." She checked her watch. "Or just under."

Vala looked at Sam. "Was that Jack?"

"Uh, yeah." Sam said.

"He's coming too?"

"Yeah."  
"So you don't need me." She pulled her blankets over her head.

Sam rolled her eyes. She yanked the covers off Vala's bed and said. "Get up and get dressed Vala. Think of it this way. A whole day bugging Daniel while he tries to work."

Vala opened one eye. "That might be fun." She said.

An hour later, SG1 and Jack were waiting in the gate room.

"Ah, isn't this great?" Jack said.

Everyone looked at him.

"It's our day off." Vala said. "It's not great."

"I think it's great." Said Daniel. "Who knows what we'll find!"

Sam looked at Jack. "I had better things to do on my day off." She said.

Jack grinned at her, thinking about what had been interrupted that morning.

"Ah, why don't we put all other thoughts aside and go?" Mitchell broke through everybody's thoughts.

"Great idea." Sam muttered under her breath.

Mitchell turned to Sam. "Do you have something better to do, Colonel Carter? Because if you do, I'm sure General Landry will be happy to let you leave."

Sam glared at Mitchell, a look of slight shock on her face. "I don't know, Colonel Mitchell, maybe I do have something better to do. Maybe I don't want to put up with your crap for this mission."

Mitchell stared back at her. He had a shocked expression on his face, simular to Sam's.

Daniel, Teal'c, Vala and Jack looked from Sam, to Mitchell.

"O…kay…" Jack said, breaking the tense silence. "Let's just do this thing."


	8. Chapter 8

SG1 and Jack arrived on P7Y – 368. There was still a tense silence between Sam and Mitchell. Mitchell took point, and Sam trailed behind everybody else. Jack slowed down to walk next to Sam.

"What was all that about?" He asked quietly.

"What was all what about?" Sam asked in reply.

"Back in the gate room, with you and Mitchell." Jack said.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Everyone snaps sometimes." She said.

"Hmm." Jack replied. "Do you two not get along?"

Sam looked at Jack. "We get a long fine. Everyone has their moments of frustration." She sighed. "We're like a big family, and everybody loves each other, but everyone needs time apart."

"You two quit gasbagging back there please?" Mitchell said from the front. "We've got work to do, and the sooner we do it, the sooner we can leave and get back to our previous activities on earth."

Sam and Jack looked at each other.

"I don't think we were the only people interrupted this morning." Sam whispered.

"I agree." Jack said.

They arrived at the outpost. Daniel looked around and said, "This is great!"

"Whatever you say Danny boy." Vala said in reply, looking disinterested.

"I'm going to look around outside." Jack said brightly. "Care to join me, Colonel Carter?"

Sam smiled slightly. "Sure."

Vala, Daniel, Mitchell and Teal'c watched Sam and Jack exit the structure.

"Anyone else think we may have interrupted something between them this morning?" Mitchell asked.

"It is indeed strange behaviour." Teal'c said.

"Sam and Jack have always been close." Daniel said. "Closer than a normal working relationship. Maybe they've taken it to the next step. It would be about time."

Vala looked at him. "Sam and Jack?"

"Yeah."  
"Together?"

"Yeah."

Vala shrugged. "Cool."

Daniel smiled. "There have been so many times over the years when they should have faced the facts, and didn't." He said.

Teal'c nodded in agreement. "Indeed."

Sam and Jack walked slowly around the outpost.

Sam breathed in deeply. "Nothing beats fresh, off world air." She said.

Jack looked slyly at her. "I can think of at least one thing better than fresh off world air."

Sam looked sideways at him. "So can I, when I think about it."

Jack looked around, and then, deciding it was safe, pulled Sam into a bone-crushing hug. Then he pulled Sam to the ground on top of him. He kissed her gently.

"Uh, Jack?" Sam said. "I'm all for this, but…your P-90 is sort of digging into me."

Jack chuckled, and removed the gun. Then he kissed Sam passionately again.

Sam wrapped her hands around Jack's head, kissing him deeply.

Jack rolled them over, so he was in a position that looked like he was doing a push up over the top of Sam. He leant down to kiss Sam's neck, and every available part of skin, which there wasn't much of because of her uniform.

There was a noise behind them. Someone cleared their throat.

Jack jumped up and Sam blushed bright red.

Mitchell was standing there. "Uh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt, but we've got a bit of trouble."

Sam stood up, still blushing. "What's happening?"

Mitchell sighed. "Landry was right. It's not abandoned."

Daniel, Teal'c and Vala were inside the outpost, they could hear gunfire and things being blown up outside.

Vala looked across at Daniel. "What do we do?"

"We wait for Mitchell, Sam and Jack to get back." Daniel said, grabbing his gun. "Then we try to save this stuff and get out of here."

Vala rolled her eyes. "Anybody else would try to get out of here, without saving the artefacts. That is so typical of you, Daniel."

Sam, Jack and Mitchell entered the outpost from the side.

"We're surrounded." Mitchell said. "They're not Goa'uld, so I don't know who they are. But they're not giving up without a fight."

Jack sighed loudly, causing everyone to turn and look at him. "We've taken out more Jaffa than this. Without Mitchell or Vala." He raised an eyebrow. "Let's go."

"But Jack." Said Daniel. "There's so much stuff here we can't leave. We have to take it back to earth."

"No, Daniel." Jack said. "We're in danger staying here. Let's go."

"Uh, excuse me?" Mitchell said. "General O'Neill. I realise you've had more experience off world than I have, but you're only here because you want to be, so technically I'm still in charge."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Mitchell. There was a tense silence. "Colonel Mitchell." Jack said placing emphasis on the word colonel. "I'm under the impression that I outrank you. Therefore, I should be able to take charge."

There was an explosion outside, and half the outpost collapsed. Sam and Daniel disappeared in the rubble.


	9. Chapter 9

Sam screamed as heavy concrete fell down on her and Daniel.

"Sam!" Sam heard Jack yell before everything went black.

Jack looked around, reassessing the situation. "Mitchell, Vala, get Carter and Daniel out of there. Teal'c, with me." He turned, held up his gun, and exited the outpost.

Teal'c followed closely behind Jack. "What is your plan, O'Neill?"

Jack looked around and saw that they were surrounded.

"Surrender now, or you will die!" Yelled one of the men.

"Over my dead body!" Jack called back. An arrow whizzed past his left ear. Jack ducked. "Okay, maybe not my dead body." He clarified.

"Who are you?" Called another of the men.

"Who are you?" Jack called back.

"We own this planet!" The man called back. "And I am the ruler, Lonar."

"What, like 'loner?' " Jack asked. Another arrow whizzed by Jack's head. "Okay, I'm sorry."  
"So, who are you?" Lonar asked again.

"Uh, Simpson." Jack said. "Homer Simpson."

Teal'c snorted.

"Simpson? Why are you here?"

"Just lookin' " Jack said. "Beautiful place you have here."

"Uh, Jack?" Jack heard a voice from behind him. It was Vala. "We have a bit of a problem."

Jack turned around. "What problem?"

Vala sighed loudly. "Sam and Daniel are trapped underneath a slab of concrete, that we can't move…"  
"Teal'c?" Jack turned to Teal'c.

"No, Jack, if we move it, they'll be crushed by more concrete. It's going to take a while to get them out." Vala looked around at the people standing with their bows raised. "So… how's it going out here?"

"Uh, not so good yet." Jack replied.

Sam could feel pressure being applied to her body. She opened her eyes a crack, and immediately regretted it. Lots of dust ended up in her eyes, and her arms were trapped, so she couldn't rub her eyes. In the brief glimpse of her surroundings, Sam saw that she was trapped under rubble. She tried to remember what happened. There was an explosion, then Jack yelled her name, and everything had gone black.

"Sam? Sam? Can you hear me?" She heard Mitchell talking. It sounded vague and far off.

Sam swallowed and tried to talk. She managed a croaky, "Cam?"

"Sam?" There was suddenly silence, as Mitchell listened to Sam.

"Yeah?" Sam croaked out.

"Oh, thank God you're alive." Sam heard Mitchell sigh. "General O'Neill will be happy."

"I will?" Sam heard Jack's voice.

"Jack?" She whispered, and she felt some of the pressure being lifted from here, and then she could see clearly. They'd cleared her face.

"Sam?" The concern was evident in Jack's voice. He knelt next to Sam's head. "It's gonna take a while to get you out of here." He said. "But on the plus side, that Loner bloke…"  
"I believe it was 'Lonar.' " Teal'c said.

"Yeah, him." Said Jack. "Anyway, turns out this was all a misunderstanding and they thought we were Goa'uld and whatever. But anyway, we're safe. Sort of. I mean, you're stuck, but we're getting you out of here."

Sam gave a small smile. "I love you." She whispered.

Jack smiled. "Right back at ya." He said.

"Uh, guys?" Daniel's voice drifted up from the rubble. "I'm glad you're all here, but, uh, I can't feel my legs."

Jack looked around. "Get busy." He said to Teal'c, Mitchell and Vala. "I'll see if I can get some help."

Jack emerged from the crumbling outpost. "Hey! Lonar!" He called.

The man emerged from a gathering of people. "Yes?"

"I need some help. Two of my men are trapped in there, concrete everywhere, and we don't have enough man power to get them out." Jack made some inconclusive hand gestures while talking and in the end just said, "Can you give us a hand?"

Lonar nodded once and gestured to a few of his men. "Come." He said to them, and they and Jack walked into the outpost.

Vala looked up from Daniel and smiled. "Help?" She asked.

Jack nodded.

Lonar turned to Jack. "You said two of your 'men' were trapped, and you didn't have enough 'manpower.' However it would have more correct to say that one of your men and one of your women were trapped; and you didn't have enough man and woman power." He stared at Jack. You allow women to be warriors where you're from?"

Jack gave a small nod. "We're all for equal opportunity!"

Sam rolled her eyes, despite being covered with rubble.

"Carter! Did you just roll your eyes at me?" Jack demanded.

"No sir." She replied, her voice light.

"And you treat her with such disrespect." Lonar observed.

"What! That wasn't disrespect!" Jack protested. "That was me disciplining one of my subordinate officers."

"I'm not your subordinate officer sir." Sam pointed out.

"You are on this mission." Jack replied.

Lonar watched on, looking amused. Then he turned to his men. "Help them." He said.


	10. Chapter 10

It took a little over two hours to free Sam and Daniel. Sam came free first, and sat by and watched while the rest of SG1 and Lonar's men worked to free Daniel. It occurred to Sam how natural it was to see Jack off world again. She'd missed it, that was for sure, being able to watch him in the field. She watched as the last bits of rubble were removed from Daniel. He looked relieved, but didn't move.

"Daniel?" Vala asked. "Are you hurt?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "No." He said, voice laden with sarcasm.

Vala looked hurt. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

Daniel sighed. "No, I'm sorry Vala. Yes, I am hurt. I still can't feel my legs."

Jack took charge. "Okay everyone, let's get back to the gate and get home."  
"Already?" Lonar said. "But you've just arrived!"

"I'm sorry." Jack said. "But Daniel's hurt and I want Sam to get checked out just in case. We have to get home."

Lonar nodded. "Your duty is to your people."

"Yes it is." Jack said. "Can you give us a hand getting Daniel to the gate? I don't think he can walk."

Lonar agreed. "I will."

Jack turned to Sam. "Can you walk?"

Sam nodded, and tried to stand, but a sharp pain ripped through her chest. She sat back down. "Maybe not unaided." She said. "I think I've rebroken a few ribs."

Jack cringed. "Ouch." He wrapped his arm around Sam's waist and helped her get to her feet. "Let's go." Jack said, ordering everyone to move.

They arrived at the gate 15 minutes later, Sam still leaning on Jack.

"You okay?" He asked.

Sam nodded. "Bit sore, but probably not as bad as Daniel." She looked over at Daniel, who was being supported by Teal'c and Vala. About half way to the gate he'd regained feeling to his legs and insisted he could walk the rest of the way. However, as soon as Lonar's men had put him down he collapsed and Vala and Teal'c had ended up supporting him the rest of the way. Mitchell dialled Earth and transmitted his IDC.

"Let's go home people." He said.

Sam continued to lean on Jack, comforted by his presence, as they walked through the gate. They were met by General Landry, who, upon seeing Sam and Daniel, called for a medical team. Then he demanded to know what had happened.

"Oh, the usual." Jack said. "Hostile aliens, good guys, crumbling ruins collapsing on our team." He shrugged. "Normal stuff."

Everyone turned to stare at Jack. Sam bit back a laugh.

"Jack." General Landry said.

"We met some hostility, but they turned out to be friendly natives, but only after they tried to blow us up. That's how Daniel and Carter got injured. Half the outpost collapsed." Jack paused. "They got trapped. It took us a while to get them out."

The medical team arrived and loaded Daniel onto a stretcher. They were going to do the same with Sam, but Jack stopped them.

"I'll take her." He said. Then he turned to Sam. "That okay with you?"

She nodded in reply. Then with a nod to General Landry, Jack led Sam out of the gate room.

They entered the infirmary a little while later, and Dr Lam walked over to them. She directed Sam to a bed and began to check her over.

Jack took a seat in the corner of the infirmary, looking around. For a long time it had been Janet's place, but then, she was gone. Jack had spent a lot of time over the years recovering in the very same beds. He'd also spent a lot of time here waiting for other people to recover, whether that was Daniel, Teal'c or Sam. When he thought about it, it was mostly Sam. He'd spent so much time watching over her in the infirmary, always confident she'd wake up, that she'd get better. He wasn't overly worried now, Sam was still awake, and she wasn't injured badly. Jack knew it could've been worse. If Lonar had turned out hostile, they could all have been dead, or if the concrete had landed any other way Sam and Daniel could have been dead. Jack must have been tired, he didn't notice when he fell asleep. He did notice, however, when he jolted awake. He checked his watch. He'd been asleep for almost three hours. Sam was staring at him from where she was lying in an infirmary bed, a small smile on her face. Jack got up and walked over to her.

"Hey Carter, how's it going?"  
"All right. Thank you sir." Sam replied. "Couple of broken ribs, but nothing more severe."

"Good." Jack said. "Good. When are you leaving?"

Sam shrugged. "Whenever. There's not much I can do but rest. Daniel will be here for a while though." She said.

Jack raised an eyebrow at the sleeping archaeologist. "What's wrong with him?"

"Broken leg, couple of broken ribs, massive concussion." Sam answered. "He'll be okay."

Jack stared intently down at Sam.

"What?" She asked.

"I forgot how often we used to run into danger off world. You get hurt a lot more often than I'd like." He paused. "Not that I'd like you getting hurt. Cause I don't. But… you know." He trailed off and Sam chuckled at him.

"I'm fine sir." She said. "Honest."

Jack nodded. "I know." He lowered his voice. "Wanna spend the night at my house?"

Sam smiled and laughed. "So you can take care of me?"

Jack grinned. "Oh yeah."


	11. Chapter 11

Sam lay back in Jack's bed. It was comfortable, and Sam decided she could get used to this. Jack was lying next to her. He was tracing patterns on Sam's stomach with his fingers. Sam sighed.

"Jack." She said.

"Yes?"

"Would you stop that?"

"Why?"

"I'm trying to sleep."

"Sam!" Jack drew out Sam's name so it sounded like it contained three syllables.

"Jack." Sam imitated Jack in a whining voice.

"There is so much more we could be doing!" Jack said.

Sam rolled her eyes and looked over at Jack. He had a childish grin on his face.

"Sir, I have two broken ribs, I can't really do anything right now."

Jack put on a pout. "We finally have the opportunity to do what we want, and you say no!"

"I'm not saying no indefinitely." Sam said. "But I want my ribs to heal. And if you want anything from me anytime soon, you'll let them."

Jack continued to trace patterns on Sam's stomach, underneath her tank top, on bare skin.

Sam sighed. "If it makes you feel better, there is nothing more I want right now than you."

Jack smiled. "What if I beg?"

Sam pulled her pillow out from under her head and hit Jack with it. It hurt a bit to move, but too bad.

Jack looked at Sam from underneath the pillow. He raised an eyebrow.

Sam rolled her eyes again and turned her head so she was looking the other way, pretending to ignore Jack. But she couldn't, because she soon felt Jack's lips pressed to her neck. She turned her head and pressed her lips to Jack's.

She pulled away and said, "Happy now?"  
"Very." Jack replied, leaning over to kiss her again.

"Now can I sleep?" Sam asked after a few more kisses.

Jack nodded. "Might be a good idea."

Sam chuckled quietly, before drifting to sleep.

A few weeks passed, and Sam was feeling a lot better. Daniel too was feeling better. He was hobbling around on crutches. Sam was sitting in the commissary one day when Daniel sat down opposite her.

"Hi Daniel." She said.

"Hey Sam." He replied. "How's it going?"  
"Good. You?"

"Oh, alright. I'm getting my cast off next week."

Sam smiled. "That's good. So you'll be able to come off world with us again?"  
"Yeah." He smiled. "I'm getting so bored here. I can't wait to get off world again."

"I can imagine." Sam said.

"So." Said Daniel. "I've been hearing rumours."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Have you?"

"Yeah."  
"About?"  
"You."

Sam frowned. "Me?"

Daniel nodded. "You and one certain Air Force General."

Sam choked on the rather large gulp of coffee she'd taken. She spluttered for a bit before looking at Daniel with tears in her eyes.

"You okay?" He asked.

Sam wiped her eyes. "Went down the wrong pipe." She said. "So what sort of rumours?"

"Oh you know." Daniel said. "The same that used to go around all the time when Jack was based here."

"Excuse me?" Sam said.

Daniel suddenly looked uncomfortable. "You didn't know?"  
"No."

"Oh, well, there were always some rumours around about you and Jack. They stopped when he left, but now they've started up again." Daniel attempted a grin. "You really never heard the rumours?"

Sam glared at him. "You generally don't hear about rumours that concern you." She paused. "For instance, what's up between you and Vala?"

"What?!"

Sam shrugged. "Latest I heard was that you were pregnant with her baby due to her being some sort of weird alien."

Daniel stared at her with his mouth slightly agape.

Sam grinned. "That was the tame one." She smiled. "Have a good day Daniel." And with that she got up and left the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Sam looked up from her laptop as Daniel entered her lab. "Hey." She said.

"Hi." Daniel said.

They stared at each other for a while.

"What?" Sam asked.

"We never did finish that conversation earlier." Daniel said. "And I'm still curious. What _is_ going on with you and Jack?"

Sam averted eye contact. "Nothing."

Daniel snorted. "Oh sure."

Sam blushed.

"So, how long you been seeing each other?"

"A few weeks." Sam replied. "Seems like longer."

"Who made the first move?" Daniel asked.

"General O'Neill asked me to dinner. It went from there."

"When?"  
"That was the day before we went to P7Y – 368."

"Ah." Daniel grinned. "I knew we interrupted something that day!"

Sam rolled her eyes. "I'm not that obvious!"

"Oh yes you are." Daniel replied.

Sam laughed. "And so are you."

"What?"

Sam raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly.

Sam stood in the doorway to Jack's bedroom. She smiled at him. He was stretched out over his bed, fast asleep. She'd just arrived and was enjoying the moment of being able to watch him, not having to worry about consequences.

Jack grunted in his sleep, then slowly opened his eyes. "Hey." He murmured.

"Hey." Sam said. "Sorry to wake you."

Jack blinked a few times. "Why would I care that you woke me up?"

Sam shook her head and smiled. "I hope you don't mind that I let myself in."

Jack smiled. "This is the best night I've had in a while. Waking up to see you. It's a dream come true!"

Sam rolled her eyes. "You're so silly sometimes."

"Me! Silly! Come on!"

Sam walked around to the side of the bed that she would usually sleep on and sat down. She pulled of her shoes and lay down next to Jack.

He rolled over to look at her. "What's up?"  
"Oh, not much." Sam replied. "Finally got away from work. I had to tell Daniel about us."

"What?"  
"He figured it out by himself." Sam said. "Just came looking for confirmation."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Has no sense of privacy that boy."

Sam giggled and rolled over into Jack's arms. "Nor do you, when it comes to anybody else."

Jack raised an eyebrow and tried to look stern.

Sam reached up and kissed Jack gently. "That look doesn't work on me." She whispered.

"Oh really?" Jack brushed his lips over Sam's jaw and down her neck. She giggled again. "Oy, no giggling!"

"You're not my boss!"

"But I was for a long time, so you should still listen to me."

Sam snorted. "Sure, whatever."

"Cheeky Colonel, cheeky." Jack's hands found their way underneath Sam's shirt and were currently rubbing her back.

Sam sighed. "I miss having you at the SGC. It gets a bit lonely."

"Maybe it's a good thing I'm not there." Jack said. "I doubt I could keep my hands off you if I was there full time."

Sam smiled and kissed Jack again. "I love you."  
"I love you more." He replied.


	13. Chapter 13

Sam was bored. She was walking down the street, by herself, thinking. Jack had had to make an urgent trip to Washington, so Sam was left by herself. She sighed in frustration. Jack had been gone for a few days already, and wasn't due back for another week. She wasn't looking where she was going, and promptly found herself knocked flat on her back as someone barrelled into her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Said a male voice. "Let me give you a hand."  
"Thanks." Said Sam, reaching up to grasp the mans hand.

"Sam?"

Sam looked up at the man. He was very familiar looking. "Pete?"

It was Pete Shannahan. He had changed a bit since Sam had last seen him. He'd grown a beard, and hardened up.

"Wow." He said. He helped Sam up off the ground. "You look great."

Sam smiled. "Thanks. So do you."

They stood in an awkward silence for a moment.

"Well, this is kinda awkward." Pete said.

"Yeah." Agreed Sam.

"So, what have you been up to recently?" Pete asked.

"Oh, you know… Saving the world." Sam replied.

"Ah." Pete paused. "Are you… seeing anyone?"

"Oh, um. Yes." Sam replied.

Pete smiled sadly. "Let me guess. Jack O'Neill."

Sam nodded.

"I'm glad." He replied. "I'm guessing it's about time."

Sam frowned slightly. "What does that mean?"  
"Sam, please. I used to be engaged to you, I know how you feel about him. You broke up with me for him."

"What?"  
Pete shook his head. "I'm not stupid. I figured it out."

Sam sighed. "I'm sorry."

Pete shrugged. "I'm over it."

"Really?"  
"It took a while." Pete said. "But I've moved on."

Sam nodded. "You seeing someone?"

He nodded. "We've been together for a while now. We've got a daughter. She's seven months."

Sam smiled slightly. "Congratulations."

There was another pause. "Do you want to get a drink?"

Sam sat across from Pete.

"So, how's the battle going?" He asked.

"We beat the Goa'uld." Sam replied. "And the replicators. And the Ori."

"Ori?"

"Very evil." Sam replied. "But we won. There's not much to do anymore. Simple recon missions, not much bad happens any more."

Pete nodded. "That's good."

Sam agreed. "Good, but a bit boring. There's nothing left to do. I spend a lot of time at the SGC, studying things that we found years ago."

They sat in silence for a while.

"Well, it was good to catch up with you." Pete said, standing up. "I should be going, I have an appointment."

"Okay, good to see you too."

Pete smiled and walked away.

Sam sighed to herself. Her life was so complicated sometimes.

That night Sam was sitting in her lab at the SGC. It was the only place she could forget about being lonely.

"Hey Sam." Said a voice from the door.

Sam looked up.

"Hey Cam." She smiled.

"Why are you still here? You should be at home." Mitchell walked in and sat down opposite Sam.

"I was bored. I needed something to do."  
"So you came here? Why not watch TV or something?"

Sam smiled. "I prefer to work on something here. It's calming."  
"Hmm." Mitchell replied. "Could it be that it takes your mind off a certain Air Force General?"

"Does everybody know about that?" Sam asked, sounding exasperated.

Mitchell grinned. "Yep."


	14. Chapter 14

The week passed slowly for Sam. She was bored, lonely, and crawling up the walls. So when Jack walked into her lab she leapt from her seat and into his arms. He staggered back a bit, wrapping his arms around Sam's waist.

"Hi." He said.

Sam grinned. "Hi!"

Jack stared down into Sam's eyes, shook his head and laughed.

"What?"  
"That was not a reaction I was expecting."

Sam giggled. "I missed you."  
Jack smiled back. "I missed you too. A lot."

They stood in the embrace for a while, until someone cleared their throat behind them.

Sam took a step back from Jack, blushing.

"Colonel Carter, O'Neill." Teal'c was standing in the doorway to Sam's lab. "It is good to see you well, O'Neill."

Jack smiled. "You too, T."  
Jack, Sam and Teal'c stood in silence for a few moments.

"So…" Sam said. "You here for anything Teal'c?"

Teal'c gave Sam a nod and said, "Indeed. Colonel Mitchell is looking for your assistance."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "And he sent you to get me?"

"He is currently unable to leave his desk." Teal'c replied, and he left the room.

Sam shot a look at Jack, before following Teal'c. Jack followed her.

Mitchell was sitting behind his desk when Teal'c, Sam and Jack arrived. He looked up, looking embarrassed.

"Cam?"  
"Sam."

"What's up?"  
"Uh, I'm in a bit of trouble." He shuffled back on his chair, revealing both his legs and arms handcuffed to his chair.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Why couldn't Teal'c handle this?"

"Well, he wouldn't help. He laughed at me." Mitchell replied.

Sam tried unsuccessfully to hide her laughter. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Mitchell answered. "Just help me would you?"

Sam smiled and turned to Jack. "Got any ideas?"

"Some." He replied. "Do you?"  
"Some." Sam answered. "Do you have a key?"

Jack shook his head. "We could pick the locks."

Sam nodded. "We could."

Mitchell rolled his eyes. "The keys are on my desk." He said.

Jack grinned. "I'm curious now." He said. "What happened?"

Mitchell gave Jack a dirty look. "Can you just get me out of this? Please?"

Jack shrugged and grabbed the keys, before freeing Mitchell.

"Thankyou." Mitchell said, rubbing his ankles and wrists.

"Mmm." Jack replied.

They stood in silence until Mitchell cleared his throat. "Um, you waiting for anything?"

"Yeah. For you to explain." Jack replied.

"No." Mitchell said, gently pushing Jack, Sam and Teal'c out the door.

Later that night, Sam and Jack sat opposite each other at a restaurant.

"So, how was your trip?" Sam asked.

"Interesting." Jack replied.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, it was boring. Very boring."

Sam smiled. "I missed you."  
Jack smiled in reply. "I was only gone for a week and a bit. How could you miss me?"  
"Quite easily."

Jack reached out a hand to hold Sam's. "I'm glad to hear it."

They sat in a comfortable silence while they ate.

"Got any plans for later?" Jack asked.

"Not really." Sam replied. "But if I did I'm sure that you would somehow be involved."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I'm looking forward to it."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Okay, sorry I haven't written in so long, but I'm getting to be in an almost permanent state of writer's block, however that might be to do with all the stress of school exams, which are now over! Freedom! Until next year, but that's not for 9 or 10 weeks. Ah, good times coming. So, I'll try my hardest to try and wrap this story up, and maybe start a new one.

Sam woke up the next morning, wrapped in Jack's arms. He smiled at her.

"Morning." He murmured.

"Good morning." Sam replied.

"How are you?" Jack asked.

"Pretty good. You?" She asked back.

"Yeah. Pretty good." Jack answered.

Sam grinned at him, before the smile faded and she pulled a face.

"Sam?"

"I feel sick." She muttered, before leaping out of bed and dashing to the bathroom. She emerged a little while later, looking pale. Jack gave her a concerned look.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Bit queasy." Sam answered, giving Jack a weak smile. "I'll be fine."

"You sure? You don't want to see a doctor or something?" Jack asked.

"Jack, it's probably just something I ate. I'm fine." She leant over and gave Jack a gentle kiss. "Time for work I think."

Sam sat behind her laptop, staring at it blankly. She'd been down to the infirmary when she'd first arrived to grab some pills to calm her stomach, and Dr Lam had insisted on giving her a full physical, saying she'd hadn't had one in a while. It was the puzzled look the doctor had thrown her that had Sam worried. Sam didn't think that there was anything wrong with her, but maybe there was. Dr Lam had said that she would get back to Sam as soon as she'd analysed the results of the tests. Sam knew that the doctor was nothing if not thorough, so expected results sometime that day. She wasn't disappointed.

"Colonel?"

Sam looked up. Standing in the doorway was Dr Lam.

"Doctor. Come in." Sam said.

The doctor gave one of her tight smiles and entered the lab. "I have some news for you Colonel." She paused. "I won't say good news, because I don't know if you would think it's good, but I don't think it's bad news."

"Just spit it out Carolyn." Sam said.

"You're pregnant Sam." Dr Lam replied.

There was a pause as Sam tried to process that thought.

"Colonel?" Dr Lam said after a short pause. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Sam replied a little breathlessly. "Yes. Just a little surprised. That's all."

The doctor smiled at Sam, a warm smile this time. "Well, let me be the first to say, congratulations."

Sam smiled in return. "Thank you."

"Now, you are three months pregnant now, so you're due roughly about Christmas time." Dr Lam said.

"Christmas?" Sam said. "Wow. Nice pressie."

"Do you mind me asking," Dr Lam started, "Who's the father?"

Sam looked away, unsure if she wanted to answer.

"Right." The doctor said. "Well, if you need anything don't hesitate to drop by." With that, she left, leaving Sam to collect her thoughts.

Jack was sitting in Sam's study, alone in her house. She'd left him there all day while she'd gone to work, so what did he do? What he always does. Getting into trouble. He'd started by going through Sam's clothing drawers, and he'd found some items that he found particularly interesting. He decided to keep them in mind for the, hopefully near, future. Then he'd gone into Sam's study, where he'd been most the day. He'd found some old photo albums and had spent time looking through them. They covered Sam's life from when she was born, right up until she'd joined the Stargate programme. Jack had found one picture in particular that he found interesting. It was of Sam, he could tell from the bright blue eyes, but she was a teenager. The teenage Sam stood with Jacob, her father; and two other people Jack could only assume were her mother and her brother. He was still staring at this photo when Sam arrived home.

"Jack?" A quiet voice sounded from the door to the study. "What are you looking at?" She asked, walking over to him. She peered at the picture over his shoulder. "Oh." She said quietly.

"This your mother?" Jack asked.

"Yes." Sam replied, her voice almost a whisper.

"I really can see where you got your good looks then." Jack said, with a kiss to Sam's hand.

She smiled slightly. "She was an amazing woman."

"How could she not have been? She brought you into the world." Jack replied. "I hope you don't mind that I was going through your photos."

"It's fine." Sam said.

Jack looked at her with a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay Sam? You seem a bit distracted."

Sam looked down at him. "You love me right?"

"Yes."

"You won't leave me if I give you some news you might not like?"

Jack gave Sam a suspicious look. "What news?"

"Well…"

"Sam." Jack said, a warning tone in his voice.

"You're going to be a father again." Sam whispered.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant." Sam said.


	16. Chapter 16

Jack's eyes widened and his mouth fell open slightly. "Really?"

Sam nodded in response.

Jack's slightly open mouth broke into a grin. "You're not kidding?"

"No."

Jack jumped out of his chair and pulled Sam into a hug. "Wow!"

His enthusiasm was catching, and Sam found herself grinning as well. She hugged Jack back. "You're not gonna leave me then?"

"God no!" Jack exclaimed. "I would never do that." He held Sam at an arms length, his joyous face becoming serious. "Don't you ever think that I will leave you. I love you more than anything in this universe." He stared at Sam intently. "Never, ever, am I going to leave you."

Sam stared back, tears beginning to cloud her eyes. "I love you so much." She whispered back, and Jack wrapped his arms around her again.

"So," He said, lightening the mood. "A baby!"

"Yeah." Sam replied. She chuckled. "I'm nervous now."

"Don't be. People have babies all the time." Jack replied.

"I know." Sam replied. "But this is my first."

"You'll do fine. You're going to be a great mom." Jack sighed. "And I'm gonna be a dad! I never thought that would happen again."

"Well, at least one of us knows what their doing." Sam said, without thinking.

Jack stiffened. He pulled away.

Sam immediately realised her mistake. "Jack, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I…" She trailed off.

"Not your fault." Jack said.

"Jack…"

"I'll never forgive myself." He said quietly. "But I won't make the same mistake again."

Sam put her hand on Jack's shoulder, but said nothing.

The next day Sam marched determinedly to General Landry's office.

"Colonel." He greeted her with a smile.

"General." Sam replied, standing at attention.

"At ease. Take a seat." The general said.

"Thank you sir." Sam sat down opposite General Landry. "I have a matter I need to discuss with you."

"Oh?" General Landry put down the pen he had been writing with when Sam arrived and looked at her curiously.

"I'm looking at some time off active duty." She said.

"Okay, how long?" Landry replied.

"About a year." Sam had discussed with Jack the previous night what she wanted to do.

"_I'll retire."_

"_No way." Jack replied._

"_Why not? Technically we've broken the regulations, we're going to have a baby, and I've been part of the SGC for over a decade. That's a long time. I'm ready for a break." Sam tried to reason with Jack._

"_How about time off active duty, that way you can still be of use at the SGC, and not have to retire." Jack counter-offered._

"_Regulations?" Sam asked._

"_I took care of those _months_ ago." Jack replied._

_Sam frowned. " 'Took care of'?"_

"_I had some talks with the president." Jack said. _

_Sam sighed. "You really don't want me to leave the SGC, do you?"_

_Jack shook his head. "Nope. We need you too much."_

"_But there's no major enemy anymore. I don't need to be there." Sam protested._

"_Anything could turn up at any time." Was Jack's final word._

"_But…"_

"_No 'buts' Carter."_

"A year?!" General Landry's exclamation brought Sam back to the present. "Why?"

"I'm pregnant, sir." Sam replied.

"Oh. Well, in that case, leave granted. When do you want to come off active duty?" General Landry responded.

"As soon as possible." Sam replied. "I'm due at Christmas, so that'll give me the next six months to get ready, and then six months to settle down after I give birth."

General Landry nodded. "Alright. I assume you still want to want work on base."

Sam nodded.

"Well, as of now, you're off active duty Colonel. I'll leave it to you to inform your team, shall I?"

"Thank you sir." Sam said. "I'll do that."


	17. Chapter 17

Sam was sitting in the commissary, opposite Vala, who was chatting animatedly about something. Sam wasn't sure what, she wasn't actually listening. She was thinking.

"Sam. Sam!?"

Sam looked up. "Sorry, what?"

Vala frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little preoccupied." Sam replied.

Vala looked suspiciously at Sam. "Why?"

"Well, I have some news."

"What kind of news?"

"Baby news."

Vala looked blank, then a look of realisation crossed her face. Then she squealed.

The commissary went quiet and everybody turned to look at Sam and Vala.

"Shh!" Sam clamped a hand over Vala's mouth. "I'm not ready for the whole base to know!" She hissed.

Slowly, everyone began to talk again and Sam removed her hand from Vala's mouth.

"You're having a baby!" Vala whispered.

Sam nodded.

Val grinned and jumped up to hug Sam. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks." Sam replied. "Now, I think I'm going to tell Daniel and Teal'c. And Cam."

Vala released Sam from the hug. "I'm coming with."

Sam sighed. "Alright, let's go."

"Oh my God! Congratulations!" Daniel swept Sam into a hug and squeezed her tight. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you Daniel." Sam replied.

"So, when are you due?" Daniel asked when he let Sam go.

"Christmas." Sam replied.

Daniel smiled and Vala grinned. "Good time for it. Chrissy present!" Daniel said.

"What's a Chrissy present?" Cam asked as he walked into Daniel's office with Teal'c.

"Sam's having a baby!" Vala said.

Cam grinned. "Congratulations!"

Teal'c smiled too. "I am very happy for you Colonel Carter."

"Thanks guys. And can I just say, I'm going to need all the support I can get from all of you." Sam smiled. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"I'll help you." Vala said. "I've been pregnant before. It didn't really work out in the end, but I know what to expect."

"Thanks Vala." Sam replied. "Now, I think I'm going to go home and relax."

"Ah, Sam, are you still on SG1, or what?" Cam asked.

"I'm off active duty." Sam replied as she walked out the door.

The rest of SG1 watched as Sam left the room.

Sam watched as Jack walked towards the bed. She was lying, pretending to be asleep, but watching through the tiniest of slits of her eyelids. She watched as he sat, pulled off his shoes, his trousers and his shirt. He then climbed into bed next to her, his arm curling round her.

"You're not asleep, so stop pretending." He whispered in Sam's ear.

"I should've known that you would figure that out." Sam replied.

"Hmm." Jack kissed Sam's neck gently, running his lips over her skin. "You got time off?"

"Yes. Landry said yes straight away when I asked." Sam rolled over to face Jack. "I also told Daniel, Teal'c, Cam and Vala. They all say congratulations."

Jack grinned. "You're pregnant!"

"I know!"

Jack leant in and kissed Sam. "I love you."  
Sam smiled. "I love you too, Jack."

"I'm glad." Jack replied.

They smiled at each other.

"Goodnight, Jack." Sam said.

"Goodnight, Sam. Sweet dreams."

"You too."

"Always, when you're in them." Jack grinned as Sam rolled her eyes.


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Are you ready?" Jack asked.

Sam shook her head. "No! I'm terrified!" She clutched at her stomach and grimaced.

"Well, you're doing great!" Jack replied.

Sam glared at him. "You're not helping!"

"Okay, Sam, it's time, just push when you feel like you need to." Dr Lam smiled encouragingly at Sam.

Sam screamed. "Is it supposed to be so painful?!"

"Well, giving birth isn't easy." The doctor replied. "When the baby is passing through the birth canal…"

"I don't want to hear about it!" Sam cut the doctor off. She screamed again.

"Push Sam!"

She did.

"Okay, you're doing brilliantly, keep going, almost there!"  
Sam screamed one more time, then…

"Huh, wow!" Jack sounded in awe.

"You've got a baby, Sam." Carolyn said. "A beautiful baby girl." She let a nurse clean up the baby, then handed her to Sam. "Congratulations."

Sam grinned down at the child now resting in her arms, it was amazing. She looked up at Jack, who had tears in his eyes.

"A girl." He grinned, and leant down to kiss Sam.

"You're a dad." Sam said.

"You're a mom." He replied.

They grinned at each other.

"Can I let the others in?" Carolyn asked. "They're getting impatient."

Sam looked up. "Sure."

"Oh wow." Vala looked down at Sam's daughter. "She's gorgeous."

Daniel smiled at Sam and Jack. "Congratulations guys. You're going to make great parents."

Cam grinned. "Now hurry up and get better!" He said to Sam. "I need you out there with us!"

"No you don't." Sam replied, smiling too. "We don't need five people on SG1."

"Well, we'll be down to three soon, most likely." He replied, glancing at Daniel and Vala. Daniel had an arm around Vala, whispering in her ear.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

Cam shrugged. "I'm kinda glad they stopped fighting and did something about the underlying issues."

"Me too." Sam said, smiling absently down at her daughter.

"So, thought of a name yet?" Cam asked.

"I've thought of some, but I haven't chosen." Sam looked at Jack.

"I haven't thought of one that's good enough for her." He said.

Sam smiled. "I like the name Jenny."

"Jennifer Carter?" Jack asked.

"Jennifer O'Neill." Sam replied.

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"I want our daughter to have her father's surname."

"I want her to have our surname." Jack replied.

"What?"

Jack glanced around at everybody, Daniel and Vala, Cam, Teal'c, Carolyn; then back at Sam. "Sam, Samantha. Will you marry me?"

Sam grinned. "Jack, of course I'll marry you."

Jack grinned, and kissed Sam passionately. "Jenny won't grow up in a broken home, I promise you that. I'll take care of her, and I'll take care of you."

Sam kissed him back. "I'll take care of you as well."

"I love you."

"I love you."

They were brought back to the present by Vala. "A wedding! I love weddings! Can I help organise it?"

Everybody laughed.

The End

A/N: Well, this is finally the end of Fragile. A story that I started with no clear thoughts as to where it was going to go. I just kept writing, until I finally came up with this. Now, I'm focussing mainly on my other story Interruptions, which I'm currently finishing up as well. School starts next week, so writing will probably take a back seat in my life for a while, so I'm glad to have finally finished this story. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading to the end. – Lily Wafiq


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